Tory-run council considers legal action against Labour government over asylum seeker costs

Independent

4 days ago

A Tory-run council with the highest concentration of asylum seekers in the country is considering legal action against the Labour government after it was refused a claim for more money for housing.
Hillingdon accommodates the highest proportion of asylum seekers - 94 in every 10,000 residents - in the UK because of the number of hotels near Heathrow Airport.
Some 3,010 people are being supported by the Home Office, according to latest figures, but when their cases are decided, they are evicted from six hotels in the borough and become the responsibility of Hillingdon Council.
The local authority is paying for more than 100 asylum seeker families in temporary accommodation, while others are sleeping rough in tents in the area.
Council leader Ian Edwards said the demand on council services had left the authority with a £5.3m shortfall in 2024/25 - but this week, the Home Office refused a claim for the money, claiming cash already provided under a grant was sufficient.
Speaking to The Independent, Mr Edwards said: 'We are now in discussions with our lawyers, my expectation is that we will have to challenge that decision.
'This is not about attacking asylum seekers, they need the support... but the idea that the government can intensify the locating and housing of these people in our borough, and then expect our residents to pay for it is just breathtaking.'
After coming to power, Labour pledged to speed up asylum seeker applications in a bid to bring down the backlog and save money on hotels. Figures published last week showed the number of people waiting for a decision on an asylum application in the UK had fallen 12 per cent in three months to 109,536 in March this year.
However, this had led to a higher number of people needing council support, such as housing, said Mr Edwards.
With a 3,000-household waiting list for social housing in the borough, the local authority is buying up more homes for temporary accommodation in an attempt to meet demand.
Further strain is also felt by the council's services in education and health.
Now, following the government's refusal to make up last year's shortfall on supporting asylum seekers, bosses at the local authority are considering cuts to services for this financial year.
Mr Edwards said: 'It is the expectation from the government that the council has staff sitting around waiting to deal with this increase in work.
'It is putting intolerable pressure on our employees. We just aren't configured to deal with this enormous pressure let alone the cost, which is falling onto the shoulders of our residents.
'Once they're evicted and they come to our door, we pay from that moment on.
'The government needs to stop burdening a local authority with the cost of a national problem. This is a national issue. It should be funded nationally. It should come from government and they should be stumping up this cash for us.'
London Councils, an organisation representing London's boroughs, told the BBC more funding was needed, with the group estimating a funding shortfall of at least £500m this year across its councils.
During a debate in the House of Lords last month, Labour Baroness Taylor said the government was working to ensure a smooth transition for asylum seekers leaving hotels after being granted refugee status.
She said: 'We are working hard to make sure that asylum seekers get a decision quickly and that we help local authorities plan more effectively as we reduce the number of asylum seekers waiting for the decision.'
The burden on the council from supporting asylum seekers is strained further by arrivals to Heathrow Airport from the Chagos Islands, which were handed over to Mauritius as part of a deal last week.
With some Chagossians resistant to Mauritian control, it's not yet clear how many more will come. But last week, 129 British nationals arrived from the Chagos Islands in the London borough, said Mr Edwards, and the council is supporting 93 households.
Mr Edwards said: 'The concern for the local authority is that the government, having made that deal, provide the right support to local authorities who will now have to manage the consequences of that decision.'
The Home Office said it was working with councils to reduce its reliance on hotels and funding has been announced to support local authorities.
A spokesperson said: 'This government inherited a broken asylum system, with tens of thousands stuck in a backlog and claims not being processed, wasting millions in taxpayer money. We are immediately speeding up decisions and increasing returns so we can end the use of hotels, and save the taxpayer £4 billion by 2026.
'We remain committed to working closely with local authorities to work towards a fair and equitable spread of accommodation and provide the financial support required.'